Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today called on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reconsider its decision to rescind a grant made to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (B-CCRS) under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program. The purpose of the grant was to provide funding for the Rescue Squad’s recruitment efforts.
B-CCRS was awarded the $246,500 grant in 2007, but it was retroactively rescinded after FEMA determined that the Rescue Squad does not provide “direct fire suppression to a specific geographic area” and therefore did not “meet the definition of a fire department.”
Van Hollen contacted FEMA on behalf of B-CCRS urging it to reverse its decision.
“This is just another example of the ongoing incompetence and mismanagement at FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security as a whole,” said Congressman Van Hollen. “FEMA’s decision to rescind a grant, AFTER it has been made and the funds committed, is sadly consistent with the actions of the agency that bungled its response to Hurricane Katrina. The brave men and women of the Bethesda-Chevy Rescue Squad who put their lives on the line each day deserve better treatment, as does the community which benefits from their efforts.”
- September 19, 2007 - FEMA formally cancels B-CCRS’ SAFER grant.
- November 12, 2007 – B-CCRS appeals FEMA’s decision.
- November 13, 2007 - Congressman Van Hollen contacts FEMA to support the B-CCRS appeal.
- February 8, 2008 – Congressman Van Hollen contacts FEMA again on behalf of the B-CC Rescue Squad.
- April 9, 2008 – FEMA announces its decision NOT to reverse its decision and denies the appeal.